Rotary fluid valve



Aug. zz, 195o J. w. F. Hou.

ROTARY FLUID VALVE Filed Feb. 28, 1944 3 valve chamber in the housing and providing a flat chamber wall I3 which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing.

Disposed within the axial bore I2 is a rotatable plate member I4 having an actuating rod I5 connected thereto or formed integrally therewith and extending axially from the housing I0, the actuating rod I5 being provided with a hub I1 which is journalled in a bearing opening I8 centrally formed in a cover plate member I9 which, in turn, is suitably secured, as by machine screws 20, to the annular flange II of the housing III. Annularly formed in the bearing opening I8 is a packing channel 2I in which suitable packing 22 is provided to engage the hub I1 and form a fluid seal therewith to prevent fluid leakage between thc .bearing opening and the hub. Provided on the outer end of the actuating rod I5, and rigidly secured thereto, is an operating handle 23 by which the actuating rod and the rotatable plate member I4 may be rotated. Disposed between the cover plate member I9 and the rotatable plate member I4 in the axial bore I2 is a thrust bearing 24, of conventional form, which, together with the bearing opening I8, forms means for rotatably supporting the plate member in the housing.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the housing III is provided with a first port 2B, a second port 21, a third port 28, and a fourth port 29, the ports being preferably equidistantly circumferentially spaced and having 'ftheir axes parallel to the axis of the housisg I0. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, more or less of such ports may be provided and they may be differently spaced, without departing from the spirit of my invention. Since the ports 26, 21, 28, and 29 are all identical in construction, only one thereof will be described in detail, and since each of the ports contains a sealing means 30, all of which are of identical construction, only one of such sealing means will be described in detail.

The port 21 is provided at its outer end with threads 32 adapted to threadedly receive suitable piping (not shown), the inner end of the port .f

being counterbored to provide a cylindrical bore 33 of enlarged diameter and forming an annular shoulder 34. This construction is best illustrated in Fig. 4, which is also referred to for the specific construction of the sealing means 33.

' The sealing means 30 includes a tubular sleeve 35 provided on its inner end with an annular shoulder 36, the annular shoulder 36 being of smaller external diameter than the cylindrical bore 33 of the port 21 and being adapted to engage a facing plate 31 to be described hereinafter. The outer end face 39 of the annular shoulder 35 -is undercut on a radius indicated by the dotted line 40. The annular shoulder 36 is provided with an inner annular groove 4I and an outer annular groove 42 to form an engaging face 43 therebetween which engages the facing plate 31. I` have found it desirable to make the engaging face 43 of relatively small cross-sectional area rso as to reduce friction between the engaging face and the facing plate 31, and I have further 4found that by reducing the area of engagement of the engaging face 43 more perfect sealing is provided against the facing plate 31, the engaging face tending to wear quickly to form a subtantially perfect iluid seal against the facing plate. This action is particularly true when both the shoulder 36 and the facing plate 31 are formed of metal, as I intend them to be in the preferred form of the invention. The inner annular groove 4' 4I has a further function in that it permits fluid from the interior of the tubular sleeve 35 to exert a longitudinal pressure outwardly against the inner end of the sleeve to at least partially balance the fluid pressure exerted by such fluid on the opposite end of the sleeve, which reduces the tendency of the sleeve to lock against the facing plate 31 in response to hydraulic pressure bearing on the outer end of the sleeve. The external diameter of the inner Vannular groove 4i may, of course, be varied as desired and must be correlated with the maximum uid pressure admitted to the sleeve 35 and the cross-sectional area of the outer end of the sleeve. The outer annular groove 42 also has an additional function in increasing the available end area of the shoulder 33 radially outward from the engaging face 43 so that in the event pressure uid leaks into the annular space between the shoulder and the cylindrical bore 33, this pressure fluid will exert a hydraulic thrust against the inner end of the shoulder and consequently the tubular sleeve 35 so that in the event the pressure thereof ISU builds up to a suflciently large figure relative to the fluid pressure within the tubular sleeve 35, it will exert an outward thrust on the tubular sleeve tending to force it out of engagement with the facing plate 31 to permit this excess pressure on its exterior to bleed o directly into the interior of the tubular sleeve and thus be released from the device.

Disposed on and encircling the tubular sleeve 35 is an annular packing element 45, preferably formed of Neoprene or other resilient material. The packing element 45 is provided with an inner convex end face 46, formed to substantially the radius indicated by the dotted line 4U, and which engages and mates with the undercut end face 39 of the shoulder 36. The packing element 45 is also provided with a bevelled evternal face 41 and with an outer vertical end face 48 against which engages a follower washer 49, which in turn is engaged by a compression spring 5:1, the

. other end of which engages the annular shoulder 34. When assembled as shown in Fig. 4, the compression spring exerts a longitudinal thrust against the Washer 49 and in turn against the sleeve 35 through the packing element 45 and the shoulder 3B to tend to maintain the engaging face 43 in pressure engagement with the facing plate 31 so as to provide a fluid seal therebetween. As will be noted, the external diameter of the tubular sleeve 35 is somewhat less than the diameter of the port 21, and consequently fluid can readily flow therebetween into the cylindrical bore 33 to exert a fluid pressure against the washer 49 as well as against the outer end of the tubular sleeve 35 which, because the area thereof is greater than the area on the inner end of the sleeve 35 to which such fluid pressure is admitted, provides a differential area piston arrangement by which the fluid pressure also tends to exert a thrust leftward, as seen in'Fig. 4, against the tubular sleeve 35 to maintain the engaging face 43 in pressure engagement with the facing plate 31. Thus, while the compression spring 50 may not be absolutely essential in some installations and may be dispensed with if desired, I prefer to include it so as to provide a positive mechanical means for holding the engaging face 43 in sealing engagement with the facing plate 31 to insure reengagement in the event that fluid pressure in the outer annular groove 42 forces the tubular sleeve 35 to the right, as seen in Fig. 4, to enable excess pressure in the outer annular groove to ammore 57:1 bleed bachi-into thefinterior off the tubular sleeves- P-rovidedllbetween the, endly face 39iof-f 'the am nula-r should`er13l and the bevelled eXternali face.-v 41'5offtli'e1packing element/A5. isa wedgering 52 ofI generally triangular shape, havingf an outer cylindrical i surface. 53 in sliding engagementr Withi thefcylindricalfborer 33,; an inner bevelled'ifaoe.'

i'ni'tiengaging the bevelled external face lil? of the.I packing elementli, and having an-endfface 55iA .formed onl the: radius indicated bythe dotted. line' Mii-andwhich mates- With4 thenouterportion of" theiundercut endzfacegiof the shoulder36.l Ther;

speciczformlof the `Wedge ring-52iis animportantt:

fea-tureof theV invention, as .it prevents `,therpackiings. element wand-the material4 thereof 2 from:

creeping-orzextruding.into the space: betweenxthew periphery.' oft the.` annular shoulder 35 andflthe*A cylindricalbore 33:. The wedgesringazi is .prefere-A ablyzformed of metal, such as, for. example, brass.: ozrbronze, although any suitable materialimay be f used:A

Duetothefact that the end face 39S of vthelan.-V

ml'lar shoulder 35 is undercut on the radius indi cated ,by-the dotted line Mlfand the end .facesll ansdf ofth'epacking element t5:andthevvedge" ring., 'zrespectively, mate;y therewith, it forms4 what is, in effect, a ball and socket joint between the tubular'sleeve 35 and the. packing element 45 andswedgefring. 52,v thus permitting slight oscillatoryamovement therebetween to permit theen-A y gagingiface-of the tubular sleeve'to, properly. align', itself in vfluid-tight engagement with thev faeingzplatef. 311. The tubularV sleeve 35 may thus;

bevregarded as,` being retained in floating rela-2 tionshipsrelativeto the-facing plate 31 to permit" automatic self-alignment therebetween and. to.: compensate forV wear therebetween.

Asbest shown in Figs.. I2 and 3, thezrotatable.. platemember I4. is providd with a firstl arcuate:- passagev51i and ai second arcuate. passage. 58,'. which,as will be. noted, are'. of relatively largerI crossesectionalfarea so as to permita free and.; uninterrupted flow of iiuid therethrough andthus. prevent.` any substantial 1 pressure drop -.there; through. Boththe. plate member HI and the housing.`l` Ill.vv may, be centrally cored out to. form-` chambers 59 and 6I), respectively, to. lighten the: weight-ofthe unit, althoughv these chambersor either-of1them,.may be omittedxif desired,l asithey.; have nomechanical function. in the valve. Securedfto thefinnerl face of the plate-memberlt. as.: by v.suitable screws 6I, isthe'facingplate.v 31. 'Iheifacing plate STI/is provided vvithI apertures. 63;'264;651,.and. 6B, which are, in the embodiment showrr, spaced' therein `similarly tothe. spacing offtlzlelports 26,1 21,; 23, and 29, theiapertures. 63.' anda: icommunicating with the. iirstfarcuately passage 511` of the plate member I4, andthe aper-v tures; 6.5: and 6.6 communicatingA with the second; arcuate` passage 53v of the. plate member;

A's-Willbeunderstood bythose skilled in the art; the-construction shown is; simple tofmanufactureal and: easy' to assemble orv disassemble: Removal? offthe machine screws 20.*permits the: cover plate member I9, the thrust bearing. 24', and the rotatahlely platemember.- I4 with. the. facing plate. 31? attachedgthereto to be'withdrawnz'from theahouse ing; III#y as a unit, following which each of the. sealing means 3B may be readily removed from' the'housing Ithrough they axial. bore I2 of the housing. Consequently, any ofzthe parts'. ofthe device may be easily removed.-forareplacementor repair, and upon assembly or reassembly each of, the .sealing means 30' will automatically align-.ite Seligproperly with the;aCingpIate;31Jso,thaiisucli;

assemblyiorreassembly maylb'eicarriedoutfbytar unskilled:operator;v f

Inoperation., asiwilli be: understood-'1 by 'those-'1 skilled in the art, the firstiA port ZS''may/be con nect'edibylsuitable tubin'ginot shown) tofalsourcer-i ofil'uidunder pressure, the second porti' 221:"may 1- simi-larly be connectedz torapointv` of di'sposalj andi:Y the. portsl-Z and 2B '-may .I be similarly connectedf anfoutlet' port, and the. ports` 28'and* Zamay' beh tcrmedfsupplyfports.: Such' iuidv connections'faref standardepra'ctice iny aircraft where a: four-Way f valvea issutilizedt'o alternatively:1 direct'iflowi froml a-sourcepfhigh=pressure uid toy either endfof'an-z; actuating cylinder having.vv a piston therein', ini: Whichiwhen the inletv is in communication W-itlfif4 oneendi 'ofithefcylinder the outlet'V is y inv communi-ecat-i'on-Lvl/.iththeI other, and vice-versa. Valves forfthisrpurpose -in= aircraft'operationv are. commonlyf referred to as selector valves,and.'myvalverdeffL vicevdescribedihereinmay be used in sucha manner;V When-.soused4 as Will be understood; when thevparts ofi my valve device are, in' the positions` illustrated inthe drawing, the port '26.fcommunliz-xr cateshthroug-h" the aperture@ landf' the first` ar cuate-passagef51 andfthe aperturef'lll Withthe port: 28, andfth'e port 21 communicates through* the# aperture B5 and the second; arcuatepassage 58 and the aperturev vvithfthe port 29, By rotating the plate member- I-ninety degrees clockwise',y as.'A illustrated by thearrow 61 'in Fig. 3, fluid commu nication Iis opened lfrom the'. port-Z'throughztheaperture 6d andfthe irst arcuate passage Eilandy the: aperture* $3" with the ypor-t :2 9g` and!v simultane ously 'uid communication is provided:betweenthe:v port 2 1f and: the fport 2 i'througli l the aperture; 632 andithe secondarcuate-passage58' and the aperz-, ture; Thus, in: the embodiment disclosed'there' are:two'operatingfpositionsof VTthe fvalve, but' it visto be-noted; that the plate-member vI 'may be rotatedv to an intermediate position in which the aper-- turesf53, lili, 65,- and 66k are out of alignment With` the ports'ZS; 21, 28, and 29' so that no fluid may I Hou/through the arcuatepassages 51. and 58: and' this 'inter-mediate position may; be termed 'a neu-- tml-position.

Arr-alternative form-of'sealing-means 1I? isillusetrated inf'Fig. 5, which may-besubstituted for thef sealingmeanst' in the preferred embodiment 'iff the valve device` is desired to be used to control ow ofi flud'at low pressures. It listo be noted? that the sealing" means 1li isldirectly interchange-1 able-with thesealing means-3131,'A which isa featureofthe invention adapting itto either high or loW-f pressure use as desired, althoughit is to be under--L stood that the preferred embodimentA illustrated in Figs. Ito 4, inclusive; may also'be used tocontrol the flow of fluid at 10W` pressures without* change if desired.' The sealing means 1D includesV a seali'ngring 1I similarin-purposefto the tubular sleeve 35 ofthe embodiment previously described;y the-sealing ring 1I being provided with an engag-l ing vface 12 similar to the engaging face 431m general purpose and which is adapteditoengage the facing plate 3110i the plate member Ill'.V The sealingrring 1I islprovidedl'with a peripheral con-- Vex face.-13 formed on a radius indicated" by the dotted line 1.4i. which'. permits the.y sealing ring` to: automatically align itself .with'thev facing plate 31T infassembly'or dueto wear between tl`1ese..parts.- Thezisealing ringi1I is provided-With an undercut groove; 1.5: in its inner face, which; is. provided-fior theesamegeneral` purpose.l as' theouter annular groove'.AZilluStratedTinFig. 4.". 'llhesealing ring- 1l is provided with an outer face 11 to which is suitably secured one end of a bellows 18, which may be formed of metal or resilient material, such as, for example, rubber or Neoprene, the other end of the bellows being secured to a washer ring 19 preferably formed of Neoprene or rubber and which in turn engages the shoulder 34 of the housing l0. As will be understood, in this form of sealing means fluid pressure in the port 21 is, in effect, admitted to substantially the entire outer face 11 of the sealing ring 1l by the bellows 18, and since the cross-sectional area of the outer face 11 is substantially greater than the crosssectional area of the engaging face 12, the fluid pressure exerts a longitudinal thrust on the sealing ring tending to retain it in sealing engagement with the facing plate 31. A compression spring 16, similar in function to the compression spring 50, is provided in this embodiment, although, if desired, the spring 16 may be omitted in some installations.

Although I have shown and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that departure may be made from the specific disclosure without departing from the spirit of my invention, and accordingly I do not intend to be limited thereby, but desire to be afforded the full protection of the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a valve device, the combination of: a

housing having a first port provided with a cylindrical bore, and said housing having a second port; a rotatable plate member in said housing having a fluid passage formed therein, said plate member being rotatable to a first position in which said passage communicates with said first port but is out of communication with said second port, or to a second position in which said passage communicates with both ports and provides fluid communication therebetween, said plate member having a face normal to the axis of said cylindrical bore; a tubular sealing means disposed in said cylindrical bore and axially movable therein, said sealing means including a sleeve adapted to engage said plate member, and an annular packing element surrounding said sleeve and adapted to engage said cylindrical bore to provide a fluid seal between said sleeve and said bore, the periphery of said packing element at its end toward said plate member being bevelled, and having an annular wedge ring adapted to fit between said bevelled portion of said packing element and said wall to confine said packing element; means for rotatably supporting said plate member in said housing; and means for rotating said plate member in said housing selectively to either of said positions.

2. In a valve device, the combination of: a housing having a chamber therein adjacent one end thereof and a bore communicating with said chamber to provide a first port, said bore having a major portion adjacent said chamber of relatively large diameter and having a minor portion remote :from said chamber of relatively small diameter and providing an annular shoL der between said portions, said housing having a second port communicating with said chamber; a rotatable lp'late member in said chamber having a fluid passage formed therein, said plate member being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a first position in which said passage connects said ports and to a second position in which said fluid passage is out of registry with at least one of said ports; means for rotating said plate member; a tubular sealing member disposed in said bore, said sealing member havA ing a radially extending annular flange portion on the inner end thereof extending into said major portion of said bore and relieved on its `inner `and outer sides at the inner end thereof to provide a sealing area for engagement with said plate member of substantially less area than the maximum cross-sectional area of said flange, the outer end of said tubular sealing member Iproviding substantial clearance with said bore to permit fluid under 'pressure to pass freely from said minor portion into said major portion around said sealing member, said sealing member lbeing provided with annular resilient sealing means on the periphery thereof adapted to form a fluid seal between said member and said major portion of said bore, said sealing member being provided with means engageable between said shoulder and said sealing member to urge resiliently said sealing member towards said lplate member, said tubular sealing member being oscillatable and longitudinally movable relative to said bore; and thrust bearing means between said plate member and said housing and permitting rotary movement of said plate member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof.

3. In a valve device, the combination of: a housing having a chamber therein adjacent one end thereof zand a bore communicating with said chamber to provide a first port, said bore having a major portion adjacent said chamber of relatively large diameter and having a minor portion remote from said chamber of relatively small diameter and providing an annular shoulder between said portions, said housing having a second port .communicating with said chamber; a rotatable plate member in said chamber having a fiuid passage formed therein, said plate member being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a rst position in 'which said passage connects said ports and to a second position in which said fluid passage is out of registry with at least one of said ports; means for rotating said plate member; sealing means in said bore and adapted to form a fluid-tight seal between said plate member and said bore, said sealing means including a tubular sleeve having an inner end adapted to engage said plate member, the inner and outer peripheries of said inner end of said sleeve being relieved to form a sealing area on said inner end of substantially less area than the maximum cross-sectional area of said sleeve, the outer end o'f said sleeve having an extelrnal diameter substantially smaller than the internal diameter of said bore so as to permit fluid under pressure to pass freely from said minor portion into said major portion around said sleeve and so as to permit said sleeve to be oscillated relative to said bore, said sleeve being provided with an annular resilient sealing means on the periphery thereof adapted to form a fluidtight seal between said sleeve and said major portion of said bore, said sealing means being provided with resilient means acting between said sleeve and said shoulder to resiliently maintain said sleeve in engagement with said plate member; and thrust bearing means between said plate member and said housing and permitting rotary movement of said plate member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof.

4. In a valve device, the combination of: a housing having a chamber therein and a bore communicating with said chamber to provide a first port, said housing having a second port com- *i9 municating withv said chamber; `a I.rotatable plate member in said chamber having :a iduid passage formed therein, said-plate member being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a rst position in which said passage yconnects said ports and to asecond position in which said passage is out of registry With at least one of said ports; means for rotating said plate member; sealingmeans in said bore land adapted .to forma ilu'id-tight seal at fluid pressures of in excess of 1G00 pounds .per square inch between said plate vmember :andsaid bore, said sealing means including a tubularsleeve -havinganY-inner end adapted toengage said plate member, the inner and outer ,pef-ipher-ies of :said :sleeve being undercut to form Aa sealing area zon said i ner end of substantially less area :than the maximum cross-sectional area .o said sleeve adjacent said plate member, the .outer end o 4said :sleeve having an externaldiameter substantially smaller .than the internal diameter of said bore so as to permit iluid under pressure to pass freely in said bore to the periphery ,of said sleeve 4and so 4as-to permit said sleeve to .be moved an appreciable distance transversely relative to said bore, said sleeve being provided with an -annular resilient sealing means on the periphery thereof and spaced longitudinally .from ,said plate memfber .adapted to form ta fluid-tight seal hetween said sleeveY and said bore, said sealing means being provided with resilient means acting between said sleeve and said xhousing for resilifently'maintaining said :sealingzarea on said sleeve 'in engagement With said plate member; -and thrust bearing means operatively connected to said plate member and permitting rotary movement of said plate member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof.

5. In a valve device, the combination oi: a housing having a chamber therein and a bore communicating with said chamber to provide a rst port, said housing having a second port communicating with said chamber; a rotatable plate member in said chamberhaving a fluid passage formed therein, said plate member being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a nrst position in which said passage connects said ports and to a second position in Which said passage .is out of registry with at least one of said ports; means for rotating said plate member; sealing means in said bore, said sealing means including a tubular sleeve adapted to nt into said bore so as to be axially and oscillatably movable therein, said sleeve having an annular shoulder adjacent one end thereof, said one end being adapted to engage said plate member, one side of said shoulder being undercut on a radius,V and including an annular packing element around said sleeve having one side thereof adapted to engage said unde cut portion of said shoulder, said packing element being adapted also to engage said bore, and including means for holding said sleeve in pressure engagement with said plate member; and thrust bearing means operatively connected to said plate member and permitting rotary movement of said plate member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof.

6. In a valve device, the combination of a heusm ing having a chamber therein and a bore communicating With said chamber'to provide irst port, said housing having a second port communicating with said chamber; a rotatable plate member in said chamber` having a fluid passage formed therein, said plate member being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a first position in Which said passage connects said ports and to Cil a second Aposition in Vwhich said passage is out fof registryrwith at least one of said ports; means ior rota-ting said plate member; sealing means inzsaid bore, said Sealing means lincluding a tubuzlar vsleeve adapted nto fit into vsaid `bore so as to he axially vand voscillatably frnoved therein, said lsleeve having Aan outer annular shoulder' :adjacent one tend thereof, said `one end vbeing adapted to iengaigesaid @plate member, one -side `of said shoulder being undercut onaradius, saidsealing means also having 'anfannulan substantially triangular wedge :ring one Aface of which engages said "bore and a .second tace of lWhich engages said undercut portion, and `annu-lar packing element around said sleeve and :engaging the vthird tace of said Wedge ring, 4and resilient means in :engagement with said packing element and `adapted to tend to urge asaidl packing element, :said ring, and Asaid vsleeve -axia'lly-i-n-saidrbore towardssaid platemember, axial movement of said .packing element forcing said wedge ring into sealing engagement .with 4said undercut portion `and said bore; and thrust `bearingfmeamsoperativelyconnected Vto said plate member and permitting rotary movement of lsaid plate ,member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof. V

7. .In a valve device, the combination of: ,a housing .having a chamber therein and a bore communicating with said chamber to provide a rst port, said `housing having a -second port communicating with said chamber; ae-rotatable plate member lin said Vchamber `hav-ing a iluid passage formed therein, said plate vmember being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a first position in which said passage connects said ports and to a second position in which said passage is out of registry with at least one of said ports; means for rotating said plate member; sealing means in said bore, said sealing means including a tubular sleeve adapted to fit into said bore so as to be axially and oscillatably movable therein, said sleeve having an annular shoulder adjacent one end thereof and having a substantial annular clearance from said bore so as to permit oscillation of said sleeve relative to said bore, said one end being adapted to engage said plate member; an annular insert member adapted to engage the side of said shoulder remote from said one end of said sleeve and to provide a close fit with said bore, and including an annular packing element around said sleeve having one side thereof adapted to engage said insert member, said packing element being adapted also to engage said bore, and including means for holding said sleeve in pressure engagement with said plate member, said insert member preventing blow-out of said packing element past said insert member and through said clearance between said shoulder and said bore; and thrust bearing means operatively connected to said plate member and permitting rotary movement of said plate member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof.

8. In a valve device, the combination of: a housing having a chamber therein and a bore communicating with said chamber to provide a ilrst port, said housing having a second port communicating With said chamber; a rotatable plate member in said chamber having a uid passage formed therein, said plate member being rotatable on an axis parallel to said bore to a iirst position in which said passage connects said ports and to a second position in which said passage is out of registry with at least one of said ports; means for rotating said plate member; sealing means in said bore including tubular sleeve means, one end of said sleeve means being adapted to engage said plate member in sealing relation therewith and the other end of said sleeve means being annularly spaced from said bore so as to ,L'

provide a substantial clearance therebetween, said sealing means including annular flange means on said one end of said sleeve means and extending radially therefrom, said flange means including a first portion adjacent said-one end of said sleeve means and annularly spaced from said bore so as to provide a substantial annular space therebetween, said ilange means also including a second portion between said iirst portion and the other end of said sleeve means and 1' making a close fit with said bore, the length of the periphery of said second portion being small relative to the length of said sleeve means, said sealing means also including an annular resilient packing element around said sleeve means and adapted to engage said second portion and said bore to form a fluid-tight seal therewith, said close t between said second portion and said bore preventing said packing element from blowing through said annular space in response to high fluid pressure on said packing element, said small length of said second portion and said clearance and said space permitting said sleeve member to oscillate relative to said bore; means for holding said sealing means in pressure engagement with said plate member; and thrust bearing means operatively connected to said plate member and permitting rotary movement 12 of said plate member but preventing longitudinal axial movement thereof.

JAMES W. F. HOLL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 809,458 Paxson Jan. 9, 1906 905,605 Tarn Dec. 1, 1908 1,046,781 Hanford Dec. 10, 1912 1,488,296 Stevens Mar. 25, 1924 1,489,857 Stevens Apr. 8, 1924 1,736,261 Hallett Nov. 19, 1929 1,818,703 Forman Aug. 11, 1931 1,961,386 Payne June 5, 1934 2,030,458 McKellar Feb. 11, 1936 2,126,020 Leach Aug. 9, 1938 2,170,975 Pick Aug. 29, 1939 2,191,232 Heinen Feb. 20, 1940 2,192,835 Leach Mar. 5, 1940 2,209,991 McGill Aug. 6, 1940 2,317,407 Samiran Apr. 27, 1943 2,324,932 Johnson July 20, 1943 2,361,655 Robinson Oct. 31, 1944 2,377,473 Wolcott June 5, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 162,058 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1921 337,198 Italy Feb. 27, 1936 

